Summary:Blue Peter is the longest running British childrens television show, recently celebrating it's fiftieth birthday in October 2008. The show will be returning for it's fifty-first series in September 2009.

The show began on October 16th 1958, and since then has gone through a cycle of 31Blue Peter is the longest running British childrens television show, recently celebrating it's fiftieth birthday in October 2008. The show will be returning for it's fifty-first series in September 2009.

The show began on October 16th 1958, and since then has gone through a cycle of 31 presenters, with Andy Akinwolere, Helen Skelton and Joel Defries currently presenting.

The name Blue Peter comes from the blue and white flag which hoists a ship in port when it's getting ready to sail. The logo for the show is a blue and white boat designed by Tony Hart. Blue Peter badges are worn by presenters and different variations of the badge are awarded to both viewers and celebrity guests. The theme tune to the show is a take on the sea shanty Barnacle Bill and was originally composed by Ashworth Hope and has since been re-recorded ten times, the current version is orchestrated by Murray Gold.

The show airs as part of the CBBC strand of programming on BBC One on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4.35pm. Throughout it's first series it ran for 15 minutes on Monday nights. From the 1960s until 1995, the show ran twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays, at 4.35pm until the mid 1970s, when it moved to 5.10pm. Throughout 1995 until 2001, three shows aired, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, in 2002 the show moved to 5pm and in 2007 remaining in the same time slot, shows aired on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. From September 2007, the show began airing twice a week and from February 2008 moved to it's current, Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 4.35pm.

The show has many features and traditions that it carry's from series to series. The show always features 'Blue Peter Pets', Petra the dog been the first. Their's been five dogs, seven cats, four tortoises and a parrot that have all appeared, before the current line up of two dogs - Mabel & Lucy, two cats - Socks & Cookie and a tortoise, Shelley. Another regular feature on the show is the 'Blue Peter Garden', based in the BBC Television Centre were Blue Peter is filmed, alot of features are based in the garden, so their's need for a regular Blue Peter gardener, Percy Thrower (who also originally designed the garden), Chris Crowder and Clare Bradley have all had the job, before Chris Collins took it on. The show has also made an appeal every year since the show began, these range from bring and buy sales been organised and endorsed by Blue Peter or to the more recent, Mission Nutrition campaign, helping kids eat better here and abroad.…Expand